These Lies We Tell
by MeeLee
Summary: [COMPLETE] When Zelos attempts suicide, Lloyd and the others try to find out what's wrong. It's not long, however, before they discover that things are a lot more sinister than they seem. Eventual KratosZelos. [Postgame, contains spoilers.]
1. I

**A/N: **So a couple of days ago, I decided to try my hand at writing a Kratos/Zelos fic. Two days later, this fic was the result. My butt hurts from constant contact with my desk chair.

Let it be known that, despite the initial premise, this is **not** an emo!Zelos fic. The plot is more intricate than it seems at first glance.

Either way, this is my first time toying with these characters, so concrit is greatly appreciated. I rather like my Kratos, if I do say so myself. XP

Oh and I can't believe I forgot to mention this first...this story does contain spoilers, so I recommend you only read it if you've played the game through at least once. Also, I took some liberties with the plotline: I assumed Zelos was the one who got temporarily possessed by Mithos in order to save Lloyd, but then he decided not to go with Lloyd to collect Exspheres. Also, for the sake of simplicity, I assumed Kratos decided to stay behind and live with Lloyd in Iselia, rather than floating off with Derris-Kharlan.

This fic is also posted at my LJ.

That's all then; enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Tales of Symphonia or any of the characters.

**_THESE LIES WE TELL: _CHAPTER I**

Iselia had always prided itself on being a quiet town. Its cheerfully arching entranceway, simple yet sturdy wooden buildings, and general aura of homeliness would easily have fooled many a traveler into thinking the town saw very little action.

Of course, any traveler who was even slightly informed these days knew that Iselia's history was far from quiet and inconspicuous. It was here in Iselia, after all, that the last Chosen had been raised, and it was here, also, that she and her companions, now heroes who had saved the world—both worlds, in fact—had returned almost a year ago to live out their lives. And despite Iselia's wish to remain under the radar, its inhabitants had nevertheless erected a small token of their gratitude to the Chosen and her sacrifices: a tall statue of the Chosen and her companions now stood firm and stately in the middle of the town square, and it was toward this landmark that the single Rheaird turned.

Most of the villagers were used to Rheairds by now, but some—mostly the very old or very young—still looked up in awe and wonder as the sleek white machine made its gradual descent, kicking up dirt and little eddies of dust as it slowly set down in the middle of the square. Its single rider slid quickly out of the cockpit with the ease of one who had repeated the ritual many times before, straightening her clothes out a bit before marching with purpose down the town's main road.

She looked neither left nor right at the curious villagers as she made her way steadily toward a modest—if very familiar—house at the border of the forest. Coming to a stop before the door, she seemed to take a deep breath, squaring her shoulders before raising a hand to knock.

There came rustling sounds inside the house, followed by rapid footsteps and a distinct female voice. "I'm coming! Just a minute, I'm—" _Crash!_ "Ouch! Oops, I'll fix that later…just a moment!" The door swung open—blonde hair, blue eyes—

"Sheena!"

Sheena Fujibayashi smiled, though it was strained. "Hi, Colette. How've you been?"

Colette Brunel quickly scooted aside to allow room for her friend to enter. "Everything's been great—it's quieter here without you guys, of course, but that's a blessing we can all be grateful for—Lloyd! Mr. Kratos! Sheena's here!"

There came the thud of boots on hard floorboards and moments later Lloyd Irving appeared at the top of the landing. "Sheena! Long time no see!" the young swordsman said, grinning as he came to join the two girls in Colette's sitting room.

At the sight of her friend and one-time love interest, Sheena managed to force some more heart into her smile, though not much. "Hello, Lloyd. Sorry to drop by on such short notice."

"No, not at all—you know we're always glad to have you here," Lloyd answered, as Colette hurried to the kitchen.

"Coffee, Sheena? Or tea?"

"Oh no, really, you don't have to—listen, I came because I—"

"You have bad news for us."

It was not a question but a statement, and Sheena turned to the auburn-haired man now standing at the foot of the stairs. "Kratos," she said, with a nod of acknowledgement. "I see you're as perceptive as ever."

Colette blinked. "Bad news?" she repeated, fingers half-clasping an old tea mug. "What does that mean?"

"It means I'm not here for a friendly chat," Sheena said, and paused for a moment. "Listen, guys, I need your help. First of all, I need to know: has Zelos contacted you at all? Letters, house calls, anything?"

Lloyd shrugged, frowning. "You know it's difficult to get in touch with you guys," he said. "Rheairds are hard to come by, at least in Sylvarant."

At this, the purple-haired ninja sighed, sinking onto the sofa. "You might want to sit down for this then," she said. Lloyd and Colette immediately moved to obey; Kratos remained where he was, impassive and silent.

Sheena took a deep breath. "I don't know how I should go about this, so I'll just say it plain and simple," she said. "Two nights ago, Zelos threw himself out his bedroom window. He was four stories up."

Colette gasped, and Lloyd just sat there frozen for a moment, staring at Sheena as if she had suddenly turned into a Katz. It was Kratos who broke the silence. "Is he alive?" the one-time mercenary asked, voice as disinterested as ever. He might as well have been discussing the weather.

Sheena nodded, slowly. "He hit a railing and then a tree on his way down; they broke his fall somewhat," she said. "So he's alive, but in pretty bad shape."

Kratos frowned. "But you didn't come here just to tell us that, did you?" he asked.

Sheena was silent for a moment, looking down at her hands working in her lap. At last, she looked up. "He refuses to talk about the incident," she said finally. "He says he was standing near the window and slipped, but frankly, I think that's a load of crap. He's always been unstable; you know that." Lifting her head, she looked straight at Lloyd. "I want you to come with me, to see if you can get the truth out of him, and find a way to help him."

Lloyd opened his mouth to answer, but Kratos beat him to it. "Zelos made the choice himself," the Seraphim said. "What makes you think anything we say will change his mind?"

At this, Sheena sprang up from her seat as if she had been stung, deep purple eyes flashing. "So what, you'd rather us not do anything and just wait for Zelos to walk off another building? Would seeing his guts splattered on the sidewalk make your day or something? Or maybe you've forgotten that he did sort of help us save the world, and that he nearly died to keep Mithos from taking over your son's mind?"

Kratos had the sense to look embarrassed. "That wasn't what I meant," he said, and continued before Sheena could reply, "Zelos, despite his…behavior…is a good fighter and a good man. I am only asking whether or not it's right for us to interfere in something that is obviously his own personal decision."

"Either way," Lloyd said, rising from his chair and speaking quickly, "We don't know enough about the situation as it is. I say we go with Sheena and talk to Zelos. We can figure out what to do after that."

"I agree with Lloyd," Colette said.

"Hn," Kratos said, before turning to Sheena once again. "Do you have another Rheaird? There won't be room for all of us."

Sheena gave him a look that was decidedly skeptical. "You're coming too? I thought you didn't care."

At this, Kratos smiled, a sad, nostalgic upturning of his lips. "The trouble with me, as Mithos once said, is that sometimes I care too much," he said.

Sheena watched him for a moment longer before sighing. "So you'll help him?"

"I will try."

"That's good enough for me." Reaching into her travel bag, the ninja extracted a small device that Lloyd instantly recognized as a Wing Pack. "No worries; Mizuho ninja never come unprepared!"

Colette sprang to her feet and headed for the stairs. "In that case, we'd better get packing—wah!" _Crash!_ "Oh no, Grandma's lamp! What am I going to do?"

Lloyd sighed, Sheena laughed, Kratos smiled, and just for a moment, all was right with the world. 


	2. II

**A/N: **And finally, the wonderful redhead himself makes an appearance. I did try my best with his characterization, but I think bits of Reno and Gojyo still leaked through…I love me my loudmouthed redheads.

I ended up pseudo-fusing the American and Japanese versions of ToS; I'm sorry, but Seles addressing Zelos as "big brother" just doesn't sound right; it doesn't fit with the English language. So "Oniisama" it is.

I can't remember anything else of significance, so on to the story!

_**THESE LIES WE TELL:**_** CHAPTER II**

The Tethe'allan imperial city of Meltokio was just as Lloyd remembered it, with its tall, proud buildings and luxurious ornamentation. Walking down its neatly-paved streets, watching as children played tag around the buildings while their parents gathered to gossip, it was hard to imagine that, only a little less than a year ago, he and his friends had been wanted criminals within this city—indeed, within all of Tethe'alla.

Now though, of course, things were different. But as they approached the nobles' district, headed for one of the biggest mansions there, Lloyd couldn't help but wonder, in light of what had just recently happened to Zelos, had things really changed at all?

"He's home, right?" Colette asked, walking beside him.

Sheena, up in front, shrugged. "He broke an arm, got concussed, and cracked a few ribs, among other things," she said. "He's not leaving the house anytime soon."

"It sounds…like he really meant to do it," Colette whispered.

"Don't say that," Lloyd answered. "We don't know the details yet; let's draw our conclusions after we've talked to him first."

"Agreed," Kratos said as he knocked briskly on the large double doors.

Within seconds they opened, and a wizened, familiar face peered out at them. "Oh, Miss Sheena, welcome back," Sebastian said, bowing. "And I see you've brought Sir Bud and his friends."

"It's Lloyd," Lloyd said, though he knew he shouldn't bother; Sebastian was a man of habit, after all—that was what made him such a good butler. "And we'd like to see Zelos. Is he here?"

"Ah." Sebastian bowed again. "Well, I'm dreadfully sorry, but my master is currently not feeling well—he's not taking any visitors—"

"We need to find out what's going on, Sebastian," Sheena said. "Please, let us talk to him."

"I'm sorry, but—"

"Who is it, Sebastian?"

They all looked up at the new voice, staring for a moment at the small figure on the stairs, light red hair clearly visible underneath her hat, dress falling neatly to her knees. It was Colette who spoke first.

"Seles?" she said, blinking.

Fourteen-year-old Seles Wilder tilted her head, regarding them curiously. "You're the people Oniisama traveled with," she said.

"Seles, please, we need to talk to your brother," Sheena said.

Seles frowned. "He had an accident—"

"That's a lie." Everyone froze as Kratos stepped slowly forward, locking eyes with Seles. "It wasn't an accident, and you know it."

For a long moment no one said anything as Seles and Kratos simply looked at each other. Finally, though, Zelos's half-sister seemed to shake herself, sighing and nodding to the butler. "Let them in, Sebastian," she said.

The butler frowned. "Master Zelos explicitly said no visitors," he said.

"It's okay," Seles answered. "At this point, they can only help him."

With a long sigh that suddenly made him seem more like the old man that he was, Sebastian bowed and shuffled aside, allowing them to enter the house.

"Come with me," Seles said, and led them up the stairs and down a long hallway, stopping before an ornately decorated door and turning to face them. "I don't know how happy he'll be to see you," she said, "but please, try your best to help him. I…I don't want to lose the only person I have left." She hurried away before any of them could answer.

Lloyd sighed. "Here goes nothing," he said, and pushed open the door.

Twenty-three-year-old Zelos Wilder had never looked worse. They could all see the sling over his left shoulder, supporting his broken arm, and bandages were clearly visible underneath his black tank. There was also a distinct jerky, difficult movement as he rose from his chair, tossing his book onto the nearest table and turning around. "Who was at the door, Sel…" His voice trailed off as he spotted his four guests for the first time.

At first, no one spoke; Zelos's sky-blue eyes swept over each of them in turn. At long last, he sighed. "Guess my butler's getting forgetful," the ex-Chosen of Tethe'alla said, sinking back into his chair. "I told him no visitors today."

"He knows," Sheena answered, "but that's never stopped us before."

"True enough." Propping his feet up on the table—with a visible wince, Lloyd noticed—Zelos flicked his good hand through his bright red hair. "So, how may the great Zelos be of service today?"

Lloyd stepped forward. "We want to know why you did it," he said, ever blunt.

At this, Zelos sighed. "For Martel's sake," the redhead muttered, jerking a thumb at the bedroom window; they could all see that it had been permanently locked. "I _said_ it was a goddamned accident: I slipped and fell, nothing more to it. Why doesn't anyone believe me?"

"Because we know you, Zelos," Sheena said. "And we know you'd never be stupid enough to accidentally fall out your own bedroom window. Not when you've survived two decades without falling out of it before."

Zelos glared. "First time for everything," he said, but he didn't sound so sure of himself anymore.

"That's bullshit!" Sheena snapped, and turned away in anger.

"Aww," Zelos said, face relaxing into its usual leer, "Do you actually _care_ about me, Sheena? I always knew, deep down inside, you wanted a piece of—"

"Seles is worried about you."

Zelos stopped, turning to look at Kratos. The temperature in the room suddenly seemed to drop several degrees. "And?" the redhead said.

"And I always thought you cared about her enough not to make her suffer anymore," Kratos continued. "Was I wrong?"

Zelos looked at him for a long moment, and Kratos saw the faintest hint of uncertainty flickering briefly in those sky-blue eyes before Zelos blinked and turned away. "I just decided that I'm tired and I don't feel like talking to you anymore," he said, refusing to meet their eyes. "If you need a place to stay, we have extra rooms, and Sebastian can make you something to eat. He's an excellent cook, but he's getting old—make sure he doesn't mix up the salt and sugar like he did last time, okay?"

Colette frowned, stepping forward. "Zelos, you can't just—"

"Perhaps you didn't hear me correctly," Zelos said, turning cold blue eyes on them. "_Get out._"

Sheena stiffened, Colette bowed her head, and Lloyd looked ready to start a fight, but Kratos just shrugged, turning and pulling the door open. "Very well," the mercenary said, and motioned the others to exit. "We shall take advantage of your generous offer of hospitality tonight then."

"Knock yourselves out."

As the door closed behind them, Zelos sighed, turning to the mirror across the room. "I _will_ kill you, you hear me?" he whispered, glaring at the face smirking back at him from behind the glass.

* * *

Fifteen years of practiced swordsmanship did not fail him: Zelos Wilder came awake the instant a foreign presence entered his room. He didn't move, making sure his breathing remained deep and slow, feigning sleep as he carefully listened to the intruder's footsteps, light though they were, gradually crossing the room to his bed. 

Reaching underneath his pillow and disguising it as a natural shift under the covers, Zelos slowly closed his fingers around the small dagger he always kept there for emergencies—twenty-three years of attempted assassinations had taught him some things, at least—and patiently waited for the opportune moment, when the intruder would bend over him and be most exposed…

"Zelos."

The voice right next to his ear startled him—how the hell had the guy gotten so close in so little time?—and he jumped, instinctively bringing the dagger around in a defensive slash—the intruder quickly jerked backward, exposing himself in the moonlight filtering through the bedroom window.

Zelos blinked, then glared. "What the _fuck_ are you doing here?" he hissed, only remembering not to yell because it might wake Seles in the next room.

Kratos Aurion, impossible to shake as always, paused to straighten some invisible wrinkles in his clothing before speaking. "Come walk with me," he said.

Zelos arched a delicate eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"You heard."

He gave Kratos one last glare for good measure before turning away, wincing slightly—the sudden movements had strained some of his injuries—as he carefully slid the dagger back under the pillow. "Well, as flattered as your persistence makes me," he said, "I'm afraid I can't fulfill any of your fantasies tonight. Kind of injured and everything. But you could always put your name down on the wait list and I'll get to—"

"It seems you misunderstand," Kratos said, cutting him off neatly. His dark brown eyes burned into Zelos's blue ones. "That was not a request."

Zelos snorted. "Yeah, well, either way, it's refused," he said, gingerly prodding his ribs to make sure they were healing properly. "You may scare the crap out of Lloyd and the others, Kratos, but you can't intimidate me."

They were silent for a moment before Kratos repeated, "Come walk with me."

"For crying out loud, I told you—"

"_Now,_" Kratos said, "Or I go next door and kill Seles."

Zelos froze, staring at him. "Y-You wouldn't."

"Would you be able to stop me?" Kratos asked, before running a finger down the hilt of his sword. "You forget, Zelos, I was once of Cruxis. I've done worse things."

Zelos just continued to stare at him for a moment before finally sighing and slowly edging out of bed, carefully cushioning his injuries as he groped for his arm sling. "You're worse than he is," he muttered, almost to himself.

Kratos blinked. "Who?"

"Nobody." The redhead carefully looped the sling over his shoulder before limping over to the wall and removing one of his swords, tying it rather clumsily to his belt with his good hand. "Ten minutes tops, then I'm going back to sleep. It's two in the fucking morning, you crazy bastard."

"You always have such a dirty mouth?"

"Only when I'm around people I hate."

"Hn. Fair enough." Turning, Kratos exited the room, and Zelos obediently tailed him out of the house and into the Meltokian night. The autumn air was pleasantly cool, a light breeze caressing their faces as a bright moon glowed above.

They walked in silence for a few moments—Kratos taking broad strides and Zelos limping along behind him—before the redhead finally sighed. "So are we going anywhere in particular, Kratos-_sama_? Or are we just gonna wander like a couple of hobos?"

In response, Kratos neatly switched directions, taking a familiar road. Zelos frowned. "The Coliseum's closed at night, y'know," he said.

"That's not where I'm headed," the Seraphim answered as they approached the old weapons shop. Here Kratos turned, circling around the small building and into the clearing behind it. Zelos recognized the place, of course: it was usually used as a training field, where hopeful coliseum fighters practiced before matches. Tonight the clearing was completely empty as everyone was asleep, and the bright moonlight seemed to make the ground glow in the darkness.

Kratos led him right into the middle of the clearing before stopping so suddenly that Zelos nearly ran into him from behind. The redhead frowned. "Okay…so now what?"

"Now," Kratos answered, "we begin." And Zelos suddenly found the tip of the mercenary's blade pointed straight at his throat.

Instinctively he stumbled backward, barely regaining his footing. "What the hell!" he spluttered, peering at Kratos in half-surprise, half-fury.

Kratos, for his part, was still standing where he was, sword poised in the air; moonlight danced off the blade, winking at them both. When the Seraphim spoke, his voice was completely emotionless. "Draw your weapon," he said.

"Are you _insane?_" Zelos snapped, pointing to his injured arm. "Do I _look_ ready for a fight?"

"I suggest you draw before I kill you," Kratos said.

"You've gone completely batshit, you—_fuck!_" Metal met metal as Zelos quickly drew his blade, just barely managing to parry Kratos's blow. Several of his injuries protested the sudden movement, and he gritted his teeth in pain, glaring up at his opponent. "What the hell are you doing, Kratos?"

The mercenary sprang back, putting some distance between them and going into an offensive stance. "I'm dueling you," he said. "What does it look like?"

"I can _see_ that!" Zelos snapped, bringing his weapon up as well; it shook slightly in his grip. "But why? Is this about the window incident? Because if it is—"

"It is not," Kratos answered smoothly. "This is about you, and me, and whose swordsmanship is better."

"You're not making any sen—whoa!" Quickly Zelos sprang back to avoid Kratos's attack. The world shifted slightly as he landed—he hadn't fully recovered from the concussion yet—and without thinking he struck out at Kratos, hoping to catch him by surprise—

No such luck; the mercenary simply stepped smoothly out of the way before bringing his sword around, dull side up, to hit Zelos square in the back. The redhead stumbled and fell, biting his tongue to keep from crying out as he landed on his bad arm, rolling into a defensive crouch.

Sharp pain seared through his side and the world swam briefly before him, but Zelos shook his head quickly, trying to clear his vision. Kratos had obviously gone insane—possessed by someone, maybe, or under some sort of spell—but if he could just catch the mercenary off-guard, maybe get him to retreat a few steps and distract him, he could escape back to the mansion and get some help.

Slowly, he reached up and touched the Cruxis Crystal embedded on his chest just above his heart, willing it to lend him its strength. He hadn't had to call on it since the journey so long ago, but if he was going to survive this night, he was going to need more than just his physical strength, severely limited as it was at the moment.

Then Kratos shot forward, bringing his sword around—in the back of his mind, Zelos wondered why the Seraphim was being so straightforward with his attacks—and Zelos quickly dropped to the ground, barely avoiding the other man's horizontal slash as he struck out with his right foot, hoping to topple his opponent—Kratos was having none of it, though, as he leaped back, easily avoiding Zelos's kick, landing lightly before bearing down on him again.

It became a battle of brute strength, then, Kratos continuously bringing his sword down on Zelos, the redhead struggling to parry as they edged slowly across the clearing. Zelos could barely focus now, the pain shooting up from his injuries and the confusion caused by his concussion leaving him barely able to see where Kratos's blows were going to fall, but the Seraphim was merciless, bringing his sword down stroke after stroke, slowly wearing the redhead down.

Then it happened: Zelos's hand slipped for just a second and Kratos's blow knocked his sword arm aside. At the same time, the mercenary gave him a square kick in the stomach, toppling him like a sack of potatoes, and before Zelos could even blink Kratos's sword was once again poised at his throat.

Time froze for a moment as Zelos glared up at his opponent, struggling for breath, trying to fight away the dark spots that were gathering ominously at the corners of his vision. Kratos just looked down at him, face as emotionless as ever.

"All right," Zelos finally managed after a moment. "You beat me; you're better. Happy?"

Kratos did not answer for a long time. When he spoke, his voice sounded far more human than Zelos was used to hearing.

"You fought back," he said, slowly taking a step back and resheathing his sword. "Why?"

Zelos could not recall a moment in his life when he had been asked a stupider question. "_Why?_" he repeated, struggling to his feet and keeping his sword in front of him, watching Kratos with wary eyes. "Because you were going to kill me, you asshole!"

Kratos's eyes were hard as stone. "For someone who is supposedly suicidal," he said, "you have an amazing will to live, Zelos."

For a long moment, there was only silence: Kratos watched Zelos, and Zelos watched the ground. At long last, Zelos spoke. "It was instinct," he said.

Kratos shook his head. "Someone who fought as hard as you did would not have attempted suicide," he said. "Something happened, Zelos. I want to know what."

At this, Zelos's head snapped up. "Why do you care anyway?" the redhead demanded. "You've always been Mr. Selfish Stick-Up-My-Ass, why the hell do you suddenly give a shit whether…" He swayed suddenly on his feet. "Whether I…damn…"

Kratos reacted instinctively, hurrying forward to catch Zelos before he could hit the ground. Gently turning the redhead over, he carefully inspected his face: his eyes had rolled back, and his breathing was shallow and slow.

"Shit," the mercenary whispered, as he saw that the bandages wrapped around Zelos's chest were now stained red. Carefully avoiding putting pressure on the injuries, he bent down, slipping his hands underneath the other man's alarmingly limp body and lifting him slowly off the ground. With the redhead thus securely in his arms, Kratos turned and ran as fast as he dared back to the mansion.

Fortunately, he and Zelos had left the door open on their way out, and so he had no trouble getting back to the redhead's bedroom. Setting Zelos gently down on the bed, he quickly drew a short dagger, carefully cutting away the black tank and unwrapping the bandages, allowing himself to wince at what was underneath: the skin there was blotched and broken, bruised from his cracked ribs and torn up from the branches of the tree.

Tossing away the soiled bandages, Kratos quickly drew on power from his Exsphere, casting a healing spell with one hand as he dug through his pouch with his other. He located a bottle of gel within moments, unstopping it and spreading its contents onto Zelos's ruined tank before pressing it firmly to the most serious of the wounds.

Zelos jerked in response, coming half awake at the resulting pain, but could do no more than groan pitifully and push weakly at Kratos as the mercenary ignored him, continuing to press the gel-soaked cloth against the side of his chest. When Zelos's feeble protests finally relaxed a bit, he carefully removed the cloth, inspecting the injuries underneath: they had mended somewhat, and with some rebandaging and careful care, they would heal.

Zelos jerked again as Kratos began wrapping fresh bandages over the wound; his blue eyes finally came open, focusing rather uncertainly on the Seraphim. "Happened…?" the redhead finally managed, voice slightly slurred.

"You reopened some of your wounds during the fight," Kratos said, not looking up from his meticulous work. "The pain—or perhaps loss of blood—made you pass out. You'll be all right, though; I managed to patch you up."

"Bas…tard…"

Kratos sighed as he finished tying the bandages down. "Forgive me," he said. "I underestimated the extent of your injuries. I hadn't meant to push you so hard."

Zelos blinked once, long and slow. His eyes slowly unfocused. "Kill you…next time…" he whispered as his eyelids fell closed once again.

"Yes," Kratos answered, taking a moment to gently, inexplicably, brush his fingers through a few strands of bright red hair. "Yes, you probably will."


	3. III

**A/N: **Back up at the university, with nothing to do while waiting for classes to start. So here's another update.

Also, for those of you who are wondering where Presea and Regal are...I don't know. They're rather hard characters to write, so I'll probably leave them out of most of my stories, for simplicity's sake.

Why do Kratos and Zelos still have their Exspheres, while everybody else doesn't? I don't know the answer to that either...

I am aware that the progression of Kratos and Zelos's relationship seems rather rushed. I considered drawing it out into a more realistic timeline, but that would probably just result in a lot of boring filler narration, which I don't enjoy writing, and which undoubtedly you wouldn't enjoy reading either. So just bear with me, I guess.

**_THESE LIES WE TELL: _CHAPTER III**

Neither of them spoke of the incident again. The next morning Zelos was a little paler and walked with a more pronounced limp, but at everyone else's startled questions he merely shrugged and said he'd fallen out of bed that morning. Raine, who had arrived earlier that morning with Genis, did seem rather suspicious—Kratos suspected she could sense that a healing spell had been used, as she herself was a healer. But if she did have any doubts about Zelos's story, she chose not to express them, instead opting to smack Genis on the head for talking with his mouth full.

The next few days were rather routine. Sheena eventually left to take care of an emergency in Mizuho, but Lloyd and his friends continued questioning Zelos at every possible moment. The redhead, for his part, stuck stubbornly to his claim that the fall had been accidental, though occasionally he did cast uncertain looks in Kratos's direction. The mercenary acknowledged them, and became more and more convinced that something else was going on, something that Zelos wouldn't—or couldn't—tell them.

About a week after their arrival, Zelos finally got his arm out of the sling, thanks to Raine's expert care. The young half-elf no longer had an Exsphere—she, like Genis, Lloyd and Colette, had agreed that it was not worth the cost and had discarded it—but her knowledge of anatomy and appropriate healing items was extraordinary at the very least, and she had the redhead up and about in no time. Zelos, of course, did not refrain from showering her with all the most extravagant praise and innuendo, most of which was met by harsh words or a hearty slap, sometimes both.

Yet despite Zelos's quick recovery, both physically and, apparently, mentally, Kratos could not help noticing that the redhead still appeared to be bothered by something. It was mostly little things—how Zelos held himself, the way he smiled just a little too brightly—he seemed to be tense all the time. At the same time, the redhead had also developed a rather strange aversion to mirrors, and had even once suggested having the one in his room removed. At the volley of surprised questions that resulted, however, he'd instantly backed down, saying it was just an idea and that really it didn't matter either way.

Kratos, however, had his suspicions, especially since his fight with Zelos more than a week ago. Thus, one calm autumn afternoon, while Lloyd and the others were off watching battles at the Coliseum and Seles was shopping with Sebastian, the Seraph found himself making his way down the hall toward a now-familiar bedroom.

Zelos was sitting on his bed, staring at the mirror across the room: it was a position Kratos had found him in several times over the past week. The redhead turned at his entrance, though, and frowned. "I thought you'd be watching the fights with Lloyd," he said by way of greeting.

"I have seen more than enough battles for my lifetime," Kratos answered, shutting the door carefully behind him.

They were silent for a moment, simply looking at each other. At long last, Zelos turned, jerking his head in the direction of his sword rack on the wall. "What, you looking for Round Two or something? 'Cause I'm better now; I could take you on."

"No, that is not my intention," Kratos answered.

"Yeah? Then don't let the door hit your ass on the way out."

He didn't move; of course, Zelos probably never expected him to. They were forced to be civil to each other with Lloyd and the others in such close proximity, but that didn't mean they had to like each other, Kratos knew—though a small, traitorous voice in the back of his head whispered hints about the sudden sense of panic he had felt when he had first held Zelos's body, so limp and lifeless in his arms.

He pushed those thoughts aside quickly and focused instead on the question he had come to ask. "Why are you afraid of mirrors now?"

Zelos blinked several times and frowned; the question had obviously caught him off guard. "I'm not afraid," he said, and for a moment Kratos was reminded of a stubborn child.

"You avoid them whenever possible," he continued. "I've seen you. Why?"

Zelos just shrugged, looking over at the large mirror on the opposite wall. "I guess I just don't like what I see there," he said.

Had Kratos not given such cryptic answers himself at one point, he would have been annoyed. As it stood, he just lowered himself into the nearest chair, fixing the ex-Chosen with a steady gaze. "That night, when you threw yourself out the window," he said. "Was it suicide or not?"

Zelos turned away from the mirror, looking instead down at the floor. He was silent for a moment, appearing to be contemplating something. "You know," he said at last, "You weren't there with us, were you, for the final battle? When we fought Mithos?"

Kratos blinked, thrown slightly off by the sudden shift of subject, but chose to answer anyway. "No, I was not."

"But if you had been there," Zelos continued, "and you had had the chance to kill him, to kill Mithos…would you have done it?"

Kratos swallowed; he'd asked himself this question many times before. "In all honesty," he said, "I really don't know. I…might have, if I had to."

"Yeah?" Zelos said. "And what if Mithos was alive today? What if he were to…just walk through that door right now, or something? Would you kill him?"

Kratos frowned. "Why are you asking me this?" he asked.

At that, Zelos shrugged. "No reason," he said, turning to look at the mirror again. "Just curious, I guess."

Kratos followed his gaze, but could see nothing but his and Zelos's reflections, peering steadily back at them from the glassy depths. Frowning, he started to speak—

"Zelos! Dad! We're back!"

"Oniisama! Come look at what we bought!"

Zelos rose at that and headed for the door, but stopped with his hand resting on the knob. "You might want to think about that," he murmured.

"About what?" Kratos asked, thoroughly confused.

"Mithos," the ex-Chosen answered, and walked out. Kratos frowned, taking a moment to glance once more at the mirror, still sitting passively in its place on the wall, before heading out himself.

That evening, Zelos didn't come down to dinner. When they headed upstairs and discovered his bedroom window broken open and the redhead gone, Kratos wondered why he wasn't surprised.

They set out to find him immediately, of course, and here they discovered that being the Chosen had its benefits.

"The Chosen?" the young Meltokian aristocrat repeated, pausing to straighten her dress. "Let's see…oh, as a matter of fact, I did see him. He was heading out of the nobles' area, though I'm not sure where he was going."

"Ah, passed by just a few minutes ago," the old man said. "Looked like he was going to the royal palace. Had a rather strange look on his face…"

"He asked to have a look down in the prison area," the palace guard told them, voice gruff and commanding. "He had the proper clearance, being the Chosen and all, so I let him in. If he's searching for someone in particular, though, he'll have a hard time of it—the prison's a big place."

Raine shook her head, thoroughly confused. "Why would Zelos want to visit the prison?" she wondered aloud as they stood on the steps of the palace. "Does he know someone in there?"

"If he had wanted to visit somebody, he could've done it during the daytime," Lloyd said.

"I don't understand," Seles said, panting slightly. "Oniisama only ever visited the prison area once, and that was for my mother's…" She stopped, and gave a choked little gasp.

"Seles? Are you okay?" Genis asked, frowning.

Seles looked up at them, blue eyes wide and frightened. Then suddenly she turned, dashing for the prison entrance, but her progress was easily halted by the guard they had just spoken to.

"Easy there, Miss Wilder," the guard said as she struggled with him, "The Chosen gave express orders that I wasn't to let any of you in after him."

"No, no—you don't understand!" Seles half-screamed, half-sobbed. "My mother was executed in the chamber down there—he's going to do it again! He's going to use the execution chamber to kill himself!"

"Now you don't know that," the guard said. "For all you know, he could just be visiting somebody after hours. I'm sorry, but—please calm down, Miss Wilder—I can't let you in—"

Cool metal touched his neck, and he froze as Kratos said in a voice that was pure venom, "Try and stop us."

The others sidled around him, hurrying into the dark passageway beyond as Kratos continued in the same voice, "You are going to stay here and continue your watch like nothing happened. You wouldn't want the death of the Chosen on your record, after all, would you?"

The guard swallowed and shook his head; turning, Kratos ran after the others.

The darkness seemed endless, the groans and cries of Meltokio's prisoners echoing in the far distance as they turned corner after corner through passageway after passageway. Bringing up the rear, Kratos could just barely make out Seles's red hair in the dimness of the dungeon; the fourteen-year-old seemed to know exactly where she was going, and he prayed that was the case—it wouldn't do for them to get lost in here, not when Zelos was about to die just ahead of them.

_And since when did you start caring about him so much? _

Kratos chose not to answer, only added on more speed.

Then suddenly it happened: Seles skidded to a sudden halt. Lloyd and Colette, who didn't react as fast, smashed straight into what seemed like thin air but bounced them back like a solid brick wall.

As they picked themselves up dazedly from the floor, Raine hurried forward, pressing a careful hand against the invisible wall. "It's a magical barrier of some sort," she muttered. "I don't think I've ever seen one this powerful. I wonder what—"

"_Oniisama!_" Seles hurried forward, banging her fists on the barrier. "Oniisama, no!"

And then they all saw him: he was barely visible in the darkness beyond the barrier, but there was no mistaking the fiery red hair. Zelos did not turn, indeed did not even seem to hear his half-sister, as he knelt down and continued tracing intricate patterns on the smooth floor.

"Oniisama!" Seles's cries were so choked now they were nearly indiscernable. "Don't do this! Please! Don't leave me alone!"

Zelos straightened at that, but did not turn around. When he spoke, his voice was surprisingly strong. "Somebody take her out of here," he said, looking down at the large seal-like design he had drawn out on the floor before him. "I don't want her to see this."

Kratos turned to Genis and Colette; they nodded and approached Seles, who was still screaming.

"Oniisama, come back! Don't—_ah!_ Let go of me! No, let go, Oniisama's going to—_no!_" Her cries gradually faded away as Genis and Colette pulled her back down the way they had come, Colette apologizing the whole way.

"All right," Raine said, once Seles's cries had completely disappeared. "Seles is gone now, Zelos. Now please, be rational and come out of there."

The ex-Chosen, however, just shook his head, laughing slightly. When he spoke, he seemed to be talking more to himself than to them. "This chamber was used to kill Seles's mother, after she murdered mine," he muttered, looking down at the floor. "It's specially designed for half-elves. A fitting end, don't you think?"

"But you're human," Lloyd said. Something began to nag in the back of Kratos's mind.

Zelos continued as if he hadn't heard. "It works by completely draining the target's mana in a matter of minutes," he said, still not turning around. "I've heard it's excruciatingly painful. I've only ever seen it in operation once, of course, but…it didn't look like she was having a good time."

"Zelos!" Raine tried again. "Zelos Wilder, you come out from there right now!"

Zelos only shook his head. "But then again," he whispered, "You deserve as much pain as I can give you, after all you've done."

And then suddenly everything clicked—all the events of the past week seemed to gather themselves together, completing the puzzle in Kratos's head. The Seraph stepped forward, waving Raine aside and placing a hand on the barrier. "Zelos," he said. "This is about Mithos, isn't it?"

The redhead stiffened, but said nothing. Beside him, Raine gasped and Lloyd made some sort of noise halfway between a squawk and a choke. Kratos sighed. "Some part of Mithos stayed in your mind, even after Lloyd saved you," he said. "That's why you asked me if I would kill him, if it really came down to it. You wanted to know if I would be able to do something you already failed to do once."

For a moment all was silent; the only sound Kratos could hear was his son's harsh breathing. Then Zelos slowly raised his head. "I knew you'd get it eventually," he said, and turned around.

Raine gave a sort of half-wail, half-shriek, and Lloyd stopped breathing altogether. Kratos for his part just willed himself to look forward, though his fist clenched unknowingly at his side.

Zelos's right eye was its normal sky blue, a color that by now Kratos had memorized. The other eye was equally familiar, but in a much more sinister way: it was still blue, except darker and with a hint of gray; it was a color Kratos had first seen more than four thousand years ago, and a color he had thought he would never see again.

A moment passed before Zelos spoke. "I didn't even know until a couple weeks back," he said, mismatched eyes looking down at the floor. "But when I found out…I knew I had to kill him for good."

"Zelos." Kratos shook his head. "Zelos, listen to me. We can find another way."

At that, the redhead smiled, bitter and angry. "You don't understand," he whispered, and looked up, meeting Kratos's eyes. "There is no other way." Then he turned, and went to stand in the middle of the complex circle he had drawn.

The bright flash of light caught them all off-guard, and they staggered backward in surprise as the circle slowly lit up. Soft _swishes_ came out of the darkness as glowing chains shot out from the edges of the circle, wrapping firmly around the redhead, holding him down. Then the circle flashed again, glowed, and Zelos began to scream.

"Lloyd!" Kratos yelled, quickly regaining his footing and drawing his sword. "Lloyd, _help me!_" Charging his blade with magic using his Exsphere, he brought it down repeatedly against the barrier, noting out of the corner of his eye his son doing the same with his twin blades. His sword, pulsing with energy, threw sparks upon contact, and through the glowing bits of light he saw Zelos writhing within his metal confines.

Beside him, Lloyd was panting with the effort; without an Exsphere, he had no strength. Kratos gritted his teeth, concentrating more power into his blade, but it was no use—even with Raine beating desperately against the barrier with her own staff, the invisible wall refused to budge.

Zelos's cries were softer now, as if he had exhausted his breath—or his mana. The circle was beginning to lose its glow; the small body in the middle sagged in its chains. Kratos suddenly knew that if they didn't do something _now_, it would be too late.

"Lloyd, Raine," he said, "Stand back." He did not wait to see if they had obeyed him before sheathing his sword and concentrating magic into his right hand, feeling his Exsphere pulsing with pent-up energy, just begging to be released.

Up ahead in the execution chamber, Zelos's body was still spasming, but the redhead was quiet now. Kratos forced himself not to think about what that probably meant as he concentrated still more magic into his hand, feeling it vibrating with raw power, bubbling beneath the skin. Just a bit more…

His Exsphere suddenly seemed to emit a shriek, a distant cry that echoed through his body, told him it was _now now NOW_ and he slammed his fist forward into the barrier. "_Shining Bind!_"

Searing pain shot through his arm but he gritted his teeth and ignored it as white light flooded the barrier; it shuddered, groaned, then shattered in one magnificent moment. Then, even as Lloyd stumbled backward and Raine screamed in surprise, Kratos ducked his head and shot forward, clumsily drawing his sword with his left hand, bringing the blade down with all his strength on the first chain he saw—

Light flooded his vision for a brief moment, stunning him so that he stumbled and fell. By the time he thought to move again, though, the light had faded away, and there was only the darkness, and the shattered barrier, Lloyd and Raine still shocked behind it, and Zelos, lying limp and motionless before him.

Not particularly wanting to think about what his right hand probably looked like, Kratos tucked it behind his back, reaching out with his good hand to gently turn the redhead over. Zelos's face was white as a sheet, his red hair framing him like a funeral shroud, and as he bent down Kratos was afraid that he really had been too late—

But then he felt it: a light, barely distinguishable puff of air on his cheek. It was slight, shallow, but it was there. Zelos was breathing; there was still hope.

"Dad!" Lloyd, seeming to finally have shaken off his shock, hurried to them, followed closely by Raine. "Is he okay?" He stared at Kratos's apparently mutilated hand. "Are _you_ okay?"

Kratos didn't bother answering; straightening, he pressed his left hand firmly to Zelos's chest and began pouring mana into him. "Help if you can," he said simply. Without Exspheres, though, Raine and Lloyd were next to useless, he knew, so when they only sat back and stared, he didn't blame them.

The minutes seemed to last ages as they sat there, watching the soft golden glow as Kratos's mana poured itself into the nearly lifeless shell beneath his hand. Somewhere in the back of the Seraph's mind, a little voice warned him against releasing so much mana—Zelos probably wasn't even absorbing it, he was dead either way—but Kratos squashed it, concentrating instead on Zelos, and saving him.

Why he was so determined to do so, he didn't dare think about.

"Dad," Lloyd said at last, after some minutes had passed. His voice was small, choked, like the child that he was. "Dad, I don't think—"

And then Kratos's mana _pulsed_, came to life, and then Zelos was _alive_, coughing and gasping for breath as his bright blue eyes alternately flew open and drifted closed, limbs flailing weakly as if for a lifeline. And then Raine was half-laughing and half-sobbing as she hugged Lloyd with one arm and used the other to steady Zelos and check his vitals, and Kratos smiled, because _he had done it_ and _Zelos was alive_, and he rose slowly to his feet to have a look at his hand—and really, that probably wasn't such a good idea because all of a sudden something shut down in his brain, and the last thing he remembered was Lloyd yelling something and the floor suddenly coming up to meet him. 


	4. IV

**A/N: **So here's the next chapter. Once again, I apologize for the rushed feeling in the Kratos/Zelos relationship; I already told you why in the previous chapter... 

This chapter is the second to last! I was actually considering just posting all the way to the end here, but that would be been_ really_ long so you'll just have to wait till next time to see what happens. Sorry!

* * *

Kratos Aurion came slowly awake to the sound of a familiar voice.

"Dad?" the voice said, small and uncertain.

He shifted, groaned and opened his eyes. For an instant all he saw was white, but he had been expecting that and so he simply waited for the light to fade away as blotchy shapes made themselves clearer and clearer, until he could see that he was in one of the Wilder mansion's luxurious guest rooms, and that his son was bent worriedly over him.

Eighteen-year-old Lloyd Irving furrowed his brows in concern. "Dad, you okay?"

_No._ "I'm fine, Lloyd."

At that, Lloyd sat back in his chair, breathing a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness," he said. "You were out for two days; we were starting to get worried."

Kratos turned to look out the window at the setting sun. "The body's mana supply is limited and fragile," he said in a toneless voice. "It's natural that I would need some time to recover."

"Sure."

They sat in silence for a moment before Kratos finally turned to look at his son. "And Zelos? Is he all right?"

Lloyd smiled. "He's fine," he said. "Woke up this morning and he's been up and about ever since. He even used his Cruxis Crystal to fix your hand." He nodded at Kratos's right arm, laid neatly across his chest. Looking down, the mercenary saw that the hand and forearm had been bandaged, but he felt no pain when he moved his fingers.

"He says you should keep from putting too much stress on it for the next couple of days," Lloyd continued, "but it should heal just fine." He paused. "You know…" he said at last, with a small smile, "That whole thing you did, with first breaking the barrier and then saving Zelos…that was really nice of you, Dad."

When all Kratos gave in answer was a curt "Hn," Lloyd just laughed, rising from his chair and heading for the door. "You should probably rest up some more, so I won't bother you," his son said. "Zelos says you can come down to dinner whenever you want; Sebastian'll have something fixed for you. Get some sleep in the meantime, okay?" The door closed behind him.

Once he had gone, Kratos slowly pushed himself to a sitting position—the sudden wave of dizziness that hit him instantly convinced him that wasn't such a good idea, and he sank back down on the pillow, quietly cursing his weakness but knowing there wasn't much to be done about it. Sighing, he closed his eyes, knowing that sleep was the best solution, and gave himself up wordlessly to nothingness once again.

When next he woke, the sky outside was dark and littered with stars. Swinging his legs off the bed and rising, Kratos was rewarded with only a half-hearted twinge of nausea that he shook off easily as he dressed, pulling on some comfortable clothes before tying his sword firmly to his belt and heading out of the room.

He could hear people talking downstairs—Lloyd's voice, at least, he could make out clearly—and turned toward the stairs, except he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Zelos's bedroom door was slightly ajar.

For a moment he only stood there, one hand resting at the top of the banister as he looked at the door and the dim light beyond. At long last he sighed, turning away from the stairs and allowing his feet to take him further down the hallway; it was now or never, either way. Squaring his shoulders, he pushed the door open.

"_Gah!_ The hell—!"

Kratos got just a brief glimpse of lean muscles and hard abs—among other things—before he was in the hallway again, slamming the door shut behind him. "Forgive me," he said, somehow managing to keep his voice steady. "I was unaware—"

"Unaware, my ass," Zelos snapped, voice slightly muffled by the door. Kratos heard distinct rustling sounds as the redhead hurried to pull his clothes on. "Always knew you were a pervert. Learn to knock next time, yeah?" He paused for a moment, probably to straighten himself out. "All right, come on in."

Shaking his head, Kratos opened the door again, speaking immediately to ease the tension. "I thought you had no qualms about showing off your body," he said.

"Not to you, you old lecher," Zelos said, but didn't put the necessary malice into his voice. "And I'm not a slut—I do have some sense of decency, thanks."

"Hn."

Kratos sank into a chair, and for a moment neither spoke. At long last, though, Zelos sighed and nodded at Kratos's bandaged arm. "So how's the hand?" he asked.

"Better," the mercenary answered and, after a moment's pause, added, "Thanks."

At that, Zelos half-laughed. "You're thanking _me?_" he said, and shook his head. "Modest as always, Kratos."

"I take it then that Mithos is gone now?" Kratos asked.

Zelos nodded. "I used to be able to feel him all the time, this voice in the back of my head," he said. "But now, nothing. I think the mana drain took care of him for good."

"That's good to hear." Kratos rose then, and bowed. "In that case, we shall take our leave of you soon."

Zelos blinked. "Ah…yeah. Okay."

Kratos turned toward the door, but was stopped by the ex-Chosen's voice. "Hey," Zelos said, and waited for the Seraph to turn around before sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "Just…you know. Thanks. For everything." He looked up, and Kratos saw something in his blue eyes that definitely should not have been there. "If there's anything I can do to…you know, repay you for this…"

Kratos frowned, knowing suddenly that he had to get out of there _now_, or something his brain screamed at him was definitely _not good_ was going to happen. "I doubt there's anything you can do for me," he said, turning back toward the door.

"Isn't there?"

He stopped again, one hand poised on the doorknob. He could feel Zelos's eyes burning into his back, and suddenly he knew he couldn't run from this anymore. Turning around, he met the redhead's gaze. "What do you want?" he asked, speaking slowly.

When Zelos answered, his voice was soft. "I think this is more about what _you_ want, Kratos."

Kratos sighed, because really, it was useless trying to fool himself further. "I…don't even know what I want," he admitted.

"Yeah?" Zelos said. "Then let me show you." And before Kratos could answer, could even think, really, his back hit the door and Zelos's lips covered his own.

For an instant his entire body froze, his mind completely blank except for the fact that Zelos was _kissing_ him, and finally some part of him—the part that made him the cold-hearted mercenary that he was—whispered to him that, seeing as he wasn't responding, he might as well punch him because really, the nerve of the man—

And then Zelos's tongue swiped his lower lip and any remnant of rational thought flew out the window, and before Kratos was even really aware of it he had walked them both across the room, slamming the smaller man against the opposite wall and attacking his mouth, their tongues sliding slickly against each other. His good hand, rather than balling up to hit Zelos, instead slid under the redhead's shirt to caress the warm skin there; Zelos threw his head back at the touch, groaning and peering at Kratos through half-lidded eyes, and really, that sort of look should be _illegal._

Hit with a sudden sense of _mine mine mine,_ Kratos leaned forward, latching onto the base of Zelos's neck and sinking his teeth into the skin there. The redhead moaned, wanton and shameless, pushing against Kratos and seeking more contact even as his fingers fumbled with the buttons of Kratos's shirt. Kratos for his part just bit down again, sucking hard on the skin before pulling back and swallowing Zelos's moan, his bandaged hand coming up to sift through the ex-Chosen's long red hair.

Zelos, however, was taking far too long with those buttons, and Kratos needed more skin _now_; shoving the redhead firmly back against the wall, he kissed him thoroughly, one hand keeping him imprisoned, the other reaching down for his belt—

The door opened behind them. "Zelos, have you seen my…dad…"

Zelos leaped backward—except there wasn't much space to maneuver, so he ended up hitting the back of his head against the wall and landing rather rudely on his rear. Kratos stumbled back as well, face burning as common sense, newly resurrected, flared up and screamed at him that _fuck_ but he was in really deep shit now.

"L-Lloyd," Zelos was saying as he got uncertainly to his feet, rubbing his head. "Um. N-Nice of you to drop by…"

Lloyd didn't answer; the eighteen-year-old was currently looking from Kratos to Zelos like a lost child. Kratos swallowed hard, wishing for all the world that he could disappear into the nearest wall as he approached his son. "Lloyd, I can explain."

But then Lloyd got a look on his face that Kratos had previously seen him direct at Desians, and without a word the young swordsman turned and stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

For a moment, all was silent. Then Zelos spoke.

"Go," he said, and when Kratos turned to look at him, he was staring at the floor. "Go talk to him," Zelos continued. "You don't want to let something like this screw up your relationship."

The mercenary turned and walked out the door.

The party downstairs had become ominously quiet, and as Kratos entered the sitting room, Colette was the first to speak. "Mr. Kratos, did something happen?" the blonde asked, looking worried. "Lloyd just passed through here, and he looked really mad…"

"Where did he go?" the Seraph asked.

"Out back," Seles answered. "Mr. Kratos, what's going on?"

He didn't bother answering, heading instead for the back door and stepping into the autumn night. The cool night air felt pleasant, but he couldn't acknowledge that as he spotted Lloyd within moments, looking up at a grand fountain that didn't work during the night.

Taking slow, hesitant steps, he came to stand behind his son, pausing to take a deep breath before speaking. "Lloyd," he said.

The boy flinched as if his voice was painful, and murmured, "Don't talk to me."

"Lloyd, please let me explain—"

Lloyd spun around, brown eyes flashing. "Explain what?" he snapped. "That you and Zelos were snogging like there was no tomorrow? That you fell in love with my _friend?_ That you betrayed Mom's memory?"

Kratos frowned. "Anna has nothing to do with—"

"My mother has _everything_ to do with this!" Lloyd shouted. "We're a _family!_ You can't just change that and not expect me to do anything about it!"

Something dangerously close to anger curled in Kratos's gut. "What would you have me do then?" he demanded. "Remain alone for the rest of my life, pining for a woman who's been dead nearly two decades? Yes, I loved your mother, Lloyd, but even _I_ know when it's time to move on!"

"You dishonored my mom! I can't forgive you for that!"

"And what about you? I've never tried to interfere in _your_ life; what gives you the right to dictate what I do with mine?"

"It's _wrong!_ You can't just marry a woman, have her child and then go traipsing off with some—"

"Some what?"

They both turned at the new voice to see Zelos standing at the top of the steps leading back into the house. He was smiling his old, familiar grin. "Some handsome rogue? Some gorgeous knight in shining armor, perhaps?"

Kratos frowned. "This is not the time, Zelos," he ground out through gritted teeth.

Zelos shrugged. "Either way," he said, "Lloyd, can I talk to you for a sec?"

Lloyd glared at him. "I don't even want to _see_ you," he hissed.

"Oh, that hurts," Zelos said, making his way down the stairs and jerking a thumb in the direction of a small moonlit lane that traversed the courtyard. "So you coming or not?"

Kratos opened his mouth to protest, but then Zelos turned a look on him that plainly said, _Don't worry, I'll fix this_, so instead he straightened, forcing his voice to return to its customary calmness. "Very well then," he said, and turned back to the house.

"Don't think I'm done with you yet," Lloyd muttered as he marched toward Zelos. "It's obvious you don't care about anyone except yourself."

Zelos laughed at that. "You know, Lloyd," the redhead said as together they headed for the lane, "The trouble with Kratos is that sometimes he cares too much."

Kratos couldn't hide a smile at that, shaking his head slightly as he entered the house. If anyone would be able to make Lloyd see sense, it would be Zelos, after all. The redhead, despite outward appearances, did have a knack for getting through to people.

He was halfway back to the sitting room before he realized something.

* * *

"Nice night, isn't it?" Zelos offered by way of conversation as they walked along the simple lane, weaving in and out of the trees.

Lloyd didn't answer, keeping his eyes fixed on the road straight ahead as he stomped along. Zelos sighed. "Honestly, kid, are you sure you're not overreacting?"

At that, Lloyd spun to glare at him. "_Overreacting?_" he repeated. "You were making out with my _dad_ and you think I'm _overreacting?_ How would you feel if you walked into a room and…and saw _Seles_ going at it with somebody?"

Zelos just shrugged. "I'd back out and let them have their fun," he said, "because if they obviously care for each other, it's not my place to interfere."

Lloyd stared at him for a long time before finally turning away. "You don't understand," he muttered, but the anger had gone out of his voice.

"Oh, I'm fairly sure I do," the redhead answered. "I've suffered through more pain and betrayal than you could ever imagine. As a matter of fact, that's one of the things I wanted to talk to you about tonight."

Lloyd blinked. "What do you—_gah!_" He didn't get a chance to finish as Zelos's fingers closed around his neck, easily lifting him off the ground as they slowly but surely cut off his oxygen supply.

"Zel…os," the young swordsman choked out, clawing desperately at the hand keeping him imprisoned, his legs kicking futilely in the air. "What…doing?"

The ex-Chosen laughed at that. "Zelos, Zelos," he said, as if the very name was disgusting to him. "You inferior beings are so easy to fool sometimes."

And suddenly, however impossible it seemed, Lloyd knew. "Mithos," he ground out, struggling for air.

"You will address me as _Lord Yggdrasill!_" He was suddenly swung around and released, slamming into a nearby tree. The impact knocked the wind completely out of him, and he looked up just in time to see Zelos—no, Mithos in Zelos's body—descending on him, left hand glowing, ready to deliver the final blow—

"_Double Demon Fang!_"

His attacker leaped quickly back, just barely avoiding the twin blasts that tore through the ground between them, sinking into the trees beyond. Mithos turned, glaring at the new arrival. "Kratos. How did you know?"

The mercenary hurried forward, planting himself firmly between his son and his greatest enemy. Lifting his sword, he pointed it straight at Mithos. "'The trouble with me is that sometimes I care too much,'" he said. "Only one person has ever said that to me, Mithos."

"Lloyd!" Colette hurried to the fallen swordsman, accompanied closely by Genis, Raine and Seles. "Lloyd, are you okay?"

The young swordsman coughed and spluttered a bit, but got quickly to his feet. "I'm fine," he said, taking deep breaths and massaging his bruised throat.

"You'll pay for that," Kratos said simply.

Mithos only smiled. "Really though, Kratos, this is mostly your fault," he said, and laughed at the Seraph's confused look. "He nearly killed me, that pathetic Chosen. When he first discovered me, he locked me away in his mind, cutting me off entirely from his mana supply. I couldn't do anything other than whisper to him and watch him from the mirror, but I was gaining power, and he could feel it. So he decided to play the hero."

"You," Lloyd hissed. "He tried to kill himself because he thought it would kill you too!"

"Precisely," Mithos answered. "Of course, even in doing something as simple as throwing himself out a window, he screwed up and survived. But then he decided to use that mana-draining chamber, and weakened himself enough so that I was able to take over."

Kratos glared, his voice as cold as ice. "And when I broke down the barrier and gave him my mana, you absorbed it yourself," he said.

"That's right," Mithos answered. "Thanks to you, I'm the one in control now. This body, limited as it is, has become my new vessel. I can even change its appearance as I see fit." He made a small motion with his hands, and a bright flash of light shot through the clearing. When it faded away, the tall, lean figure of Mithos Yggdrasill hovered before them, wings flapping almost lazily in the wind.

"You'll never get away with this!" Genis shouted, stepping forward and bringing his kendama up, but Kratos stopped him, his eyes never leaving Mithos.

"Zelos," the mercenary said. "Where is he?"

Mithos shrugged. "I figured after locking me up for so long, he only deserved a taste of his own medicine," the blond angel said. "He's imprisoned at the back of my mind at the moment, surviving off what mana he has left. Though that supply will exhaust itself soon, and when that happens, this body will become completely mine."

"You bastard," Lloyd hissed, stepping forward and drawing his twin blades. "Give him back _now!_"

The former leader of Cruxis only laughed. "And what can you do, boy, with those little toys? You no longer have an Exsphere; you're powerless against me."

"Have you forgotten about me, Mithos?" Kratos said, voice dripping with venom.

"Ah, but would you really be able to strike me down, Kratos?" Mithos asked, smile never leaving his face. "After all, I was once your student. And this body that I now possess…you care quite deeply for its owner, don't you? As you proved earlier this evening."

Ignoring the confused looks that Colette, Genis, Raine and Seles were now sending his way, Kratos tilted his sword, allowing the moonlight to dance off its polished blade. "I made my decision, Mithos," he said. "I will kill you if I have to."

Mithos laughed. "We shall see, Kratos," he said. "We shall see." And then his body emitted a bright flash of light, a white so blinding that it seemed to force them physically backwards, and when it had cleared, Mithos was nowhere to be seen.

Seles was the first to break the ensuing silence.

"Oniisama!" she cried, getting quickly to her feet and running forward, but then Kratos was there with a firm hand on her shoulder.

"Rheairds," the mercenary said. "Do you have any Rheairds?"

The fourteen-year-old nodded, turning and circling around the house. "This way!"

"That Mithos," Genis hissed as they hurried toward the two Rheairds parked in the small clearing next to the house. "Just wait till I get my hands on him—"

"You're not coming, and neither is Colette or Seles," Kratos said, heading for the nearest Rheaird and motioning to his son. "Lloyd, you're with me. Raine, take the other Rheaird."

"Wait—you can't just leave us here!" Colette cried.

Kratos turned. "I'll need Raine's healing skills; even without an Exsphere, she'll be of help. I have to take Lloyd because I'm not going to waste precious time trying to convince him otherwise. The rest of you will only hold us back."

Seles glared, entire body shaking. "I'm his _sister,_ damnit!" she yelled.

Kratos was already flipping switches as the sleek machine hummed to life beneath him. "All the more reason for you to stay behind," he answered, not looking up from what he was doing.

"If it's about being _emotional_ or some crap like that, then you shouldn't go either!" Seles cried. "You're in love with him, after all!"

Kratos froze. Genis, Raine and Colette were all staring at him; Lloyd refused to meet his eyes. Seles just clenched her fists and continued speaking. "Don't think I haven't noticed the way you look at him!" she cried. "I know it! You two were up to something earlier; that's why Lloyd was mad, and Yggdrasill was saying all that stuff!"

Kratos turned away. "I have nothing further to say to you," he said slowly, mechanically, as the Rheaird lifted off the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Raine's Rheaird rising beside theirs; the half-elf was concentrating on the controls and refusing to look at him.

"Take me with you!" Seles's screams faded rapidly as they drew away. "_Kratos!_" And then they were in the air, Meltokio but a spattering of lights below them, and then that, too, was swiftly left behind in the darkness.

They flew in silence for a few minutes before Lloyd finally spoke. "So…where are we going?" his son asked, voice soft, as if almost afraid to provoke him.

Kratos sighed. "Mithos is a man of habit," he said. "There's only one place he would go, really."

"The Tower of Salvation," Raine said. "Or what's left of it, anyway."

Kratos nodded. "With any luck, we can get there before he's done planning his next move," he said, and urged more speed into his Rheaird. 


	5. Finale

It's finished!

A humongous thanks to everybody who supported me throughout this story, especially those who gave concrit. You guys are awesome.

I'm not sure when I'll get around to writing more Kratos/Zelos stuff; I have a lot of ships in a lot of fandoms so it's hard to focus on just one sometimes. There are a couple of ideas that are on the backburner at the moment, though, but the problem is that they are EPIC--so it'll probably be a while before yall see me again...

I do hope you've all enjoyed this little Kratos/Zelos journey with me though, and I hope to see all of you again when my other fics make their debuts. _-MeeLee_

**_THESE LIES WE TELL:_ FINALE**

Within only a few more minutes, they reached the forsaken place, its lonely spire long since reduced to rubble. Landing his Rheaird in the nearby forest, Kratos didn't even bother turning off the engine as he leaped off, motioning wordlessly to Raine and Lloyd to tail him as they hurried toward the ruined tower.

The moonlight only barely penetrated this valley, casting a dim glow on the debris that littered the once-magnificent area as they picked their way around fallen rocks and rubble. Up ahead, the glowing stairs that one usually needed a Cruxis Crystal to activate were stacked neatly atop one another, tracing a clear path to the tower's entrance. His hunch had been right, after all.

"Come," he said, to no one in particular, and hurried up the stairs, feeling Raine and Lloyd close at his back. Leaping over a rather large boulder, he entered the seal room.

Mithos Yggdrasill did not turn upon their arrival, eyes fixed instead on the seal that had once housed the Eternal Sword. As they got closer, however, he spoke. "You got here very quickly," he said. "I'm impressed, Kratos."

"It's because you're so predictable," the mercenary answered, keeping one hand firmly on the handle of his sword as they approached the blond angel.

"Am I really?" Mithos said, and turned around. "Then how do you explain the ease with which I seized this body?"

Kratos glared, opening his mouth to reply but Lloyd beat him to it. "It's over, Mithos," the young swordsman said. "What can you hope to accomplish anyway? Cruxis has been destroyed."

Mithos frowned. "Cruxis was a joke," he said, "a faulty organization fraught with mistakes and double agents. I have no need for such a weakness."

"Then what do you plan to do?" Raine asked.

"To achieve what I always wanted to achieve," Mithos answered. "To free my sister."

"Martel is part of the Giant Tree now," Kratos said.

"No," Mithos snapped. "She is trapped within it, imprisoned there by you. But if I destroy the tree, I can free her from her wretched prison."

"Martel watches over the tree!" Raine protested. "She wants to protect this world; can't you see that?"

"It's useless, Professor," Lloyd said, stepping forward and drawing his swords. "He's never been one to listen to reason, after all."

Mithos glared. "You would stand in my way until the end?" he hissed.

Kratos drew his sword, feeling his Exsphere vibrating with pent-up energy. "Lloyd inherited his father's…obstinance," he said. "However, I will be the one you fight."

Lloyd turned. "Dad, you can't—"

"Don't argue," Kratos said, stepping forward. "Neither you nor Raine have an Exsphere; it would be a futile battle. And besides, this has become…personal."

Mithos laughed at that. "So in the end, your human side wins over, Kratos," he said, shaking his head. "I knew it all along…you're as weak as everyone else. That's why you—"

"_Air Thrust!_"

The blond angel leaped quickly aside as blades of wind cut through rock and rubble. Landing smoothly on his feet on the landing above the seal, Mithos glared. "How impudent," he said, raising one hand. "_Holy Lance!_"

Even as Lloyd and Raine scrambled backward to avoid being caught in the deadly spell, Kratos leaped up, feeling the familiar warmth of his wings as he dove at Mithos, bringing his sword down in a deadly arc. Yet Mithos had not once been apprenticed to him for nothing; the blond dodged smoothly aside before summoning a glowing blade of pure light, parrying and counterattacking.

It became a deadly dance then as they fought their way back and forth across the ruined platform, attacks, parries and thrusts taking them through and around the broken seal. Mithos's fighting style was reminiscent of Zelos's, all graceful spins and quick pivots, but Kratos tried not to think about that as he thrust his blade forward, forcing Mithos back and giving him just enough time to charge one of his most deadly spells.

"_Judgment!_"

The heavens split apart, deadly beams of light tearing through the sky and shooting toward the ground. Ancient columns shattered; great boulders groaned and exploded into bits of dust as Kratos's spell ruthlessly tore the place apart. Mithos dodged quickly, avoiding beam after deadly beam, but then two columns of light struck on either side of him; unable to dodge either left or right, he froze for just an instant—but that was more than enough time for Kratos to leap forward, driving his sword through his one-time friend's body all the way to the hilt.

The light faded away. Mithos gave a sort of strangled gasp, face twisted in pain as he looked up at his former teacher. "Impossible," he choked out. "You know whose b-body I'm using."

"Zelos would rather be dead than enslaved to you," Kratos answered. "He's proved that twice already."

"But…you love him," Mithos said, coughing hard; blood splattered onto Kratos's shirt.

The mercenary swallowed. "That's why I'm doing this," he said, and forced his blade upward, gutting his opponent. "Get out, Mithos," he said as the blond gasped in pain. "Get _out_, or I will kill you. Both of you."

Blood ran down the length of Kratos's blade but he forced himself to ignore it as he stared straight into the blond angel's eyes. "_Mithos_," he said.

Mithos glared, and Kratos had thought he would never see such pure hatred in anyone's gaze. When Mithos spoke, his voice was arrogant, defiant. "I tire of these games," he hissed—a rush of air, a whisper of magical energy, and Zelos Wilder's body sagged limply in Kratos's arms.

The Seraph sank to his knees, one hand still holding the bloody sword, the other supporting Zelos's motionless form. When he spoke, his voice was small, scared and far too human.

"Help," he whispered.

Raine, who, like Lloyd, had been watching the battle from a safe distance, seemed to rouse herself at that word and hurried forward. "Lloyd! Got any gels on you?"

"Yeah—here!" He tossed her a yellow bottle and she dropped to her knees next to Kratos.

"Lay him down," she said, and nodded at his sword. "And get that out of him." Kratos obeyed, pulling his blade out with a sickening _shikk_ of metal over flesh and tossing it aside as Raine tore off a strip from her shirt, soaking it with gel and pressing it to the grievous wound in Zelos's chest. The redhead made no response, face as white as death.

"He's got no mana," Raine said, applying more pressure to the wound. "Kratos."

The mercenary nodded, quickly placing his hands above Zelos's heart and concentrating: a familiar glow gathered there as once again he poured his energy into the younger man's body.

Raine, in the meantime, continued applying pressure with one hand as she dug through her bag with the other, but her moves were desperate. "It's no use," she whispered, as Zelos seemed to go paler still. "He's lost too much blood, and the wound's too serious. Without an Exsphere, I can't—it's impossible…"

Kratos made no answer, concentrating on his mana, staring down at Zelos as if his will alone could save him. Raine's voice, in the meantime, had taken on a panicked pitch.

"It's not working," she said, entire body trembling as she pressed the gel-soaked cloth desperately to the wound; the white material had long since turned dark red. "I need a unicorn, Boltzmann, or _something_—I can't—"

"Zelos." Kratos's voice was quiet, yet raw with desperation as he continued to channel his mana into the unresponsive form. "Don't leave me."

Lloyd, who had been watching quietly all this time, finally stepped forward. "Professor," he said.

Raine didn't seem to hear him, still muttering desperately to herself as she finally tossed her bag aside altogether, its useless contents spilling onto the cold ground. "_Why_—why at a time like this—!"

"_Professor._" Very slowly, Lloyd reached into his pocket, extracting a small red sphere that glowed in his palm. Raine and Kratos both stared as the young swordsman offered the object up. "Can you use this?"

"An Exsphere," Raine breathed, looking up at Lloyd. "But how?"

Lloyd sighed. "I kept it," he said. "I always thought of it as Mom's memento, so I kept it. I swore I'd never use it again, but…" He sighed. "Professor, please."

Slowly, Raine slid her gaze from the glowing Exsphere to Kratos. The mercenary, however, simply turned away, closing his eyes as he drew on still more of his mana.

Raine turned back to Lloyd, carefully taking the Exsphere from him. "Thank you," she whispered as she affixed it along with its Key Crest onto her right hand.

Taking up her staff, she set it gently against the still-bleeding wound and concentrated. Glowing white magic soon began to gather, forming a pulsing sphere of energy above the injury, and Raine took a deep breath, Exsphere shining in the darkness.

"_Resurrection_."

Light flooded the room, surrounding them with warm, vibrating life energy. Then it receded as quickly as it had come, folding in on itself, pulsing as it gathered in Zelos's wound. Then with a sudden flash it disappeared, and Zelos's entire body spasmed as the redhead gave a soft cry, jerking sideways and coughing as he gasped for breath.

For a moment all was silent except for Zelos's deep, shuddering breaths. Then Raine gave a relieved sigh, wiping her eyes as she carefully detached the Exsphere and held it out to Lloyd. "It's done," she said, and smiled. "Thank you."

"He'll be all right?" Lloyd asked, dropping the Exsphere back into his pocket.

Raine nodded, watching as Kratos reached slowly forward to gather Zelos to him. "He'll be fine."

They were silent for a moment before Lloyd turned. "I'd…better go check on those Rheairds then," he said, and without another word he walked briskly out of the room. Raine, after a moment's pause, followed.

Kratos in the meantime just held the redhead close, feeling Zelos's heartbeat thudding against his own chest and, for the first time, believing in the grace of a god.

* * *

The Meltokian night was calm and inviting in the last days of autumn, and eighteen-year-old Lloyd Irving was enjoying its cool caress, tilting his face up and marveling in the moonlight that glowed even through his closed eyelids. A full day had passed since the unfortunate incident with Mithos, and inside the house, he knew, Colette and Genis were writing a letter to Sheena, and Raine and Seles were watching over Zelos. The redhead had yet to awaken from his ordeal the previous night, but Raine was confident he would make a full recovery. 

"Lloyd."

The young swordsman sighed at the familiar voice; truthfully, he had been expecting it. Turning, he nodded at the auburn-haired mercenary standing just inside the balcony. "Dad."

Kratos Aurion took a careful step forward. "We need to talk," he said.

"Yeah," his son answered. "We do."

They were silent for a moment before both speaking at the same time.

"I haven't thanked you—"

"You're not forgiven—"

They both stopped. Then Lloyd nodded at Kratos, and the Seraph sighed and started over. "What you did for Zelos, lending Raine your Exsphere," he said. "It was very noble."

Lloyd looked away. "He's my friend," he said. "I couldn't just sit back and do nothing."

"Still, it must have taken a lot of courage to call on your mother's power again," Kratos said. "So thank you."

His son looked up at that. "I think…that's what she would have wanted," he whispered.

Kratos was silent for a moment before finally sighing. "Lloyd, Zelos and I—"

"I still think it's wrong, and I haven't forgiven you," Lloyd interrupted, voice soft. "But I do think that…if Zelos can make you happy like Mom once did, then it's really your choice, isn't it? I don't have the right to stop you."

The Seraph stepped forward. "Lloyd—"

"Kratos."

They both turned to see Raine standing in the doorway. She looked slightly flushed, but when she spoke, her voice was steady. "He's awake. And he's asking for you."

Kratos turned back to Lloyd; his son shifted uncomfortably. "I'm not going to get in your way," he muttered, "But…But that doesn't mean I have to like it, understand?"

Kratos smiled at that. "That's fine," he said, turning and entering the house, nodding at Raine as he passed.

He met Seles at the top of the stairs, and she offered him a wary smile. He returned it as best he could, heading for the room at the end of the hallway and slowly pushing the door open.

He couldn't remember Zelos ever looking as vulnerable as he did then, buried beneath the sheets, skin still pale and drawn tightly across his bones. His eyes were closed and his breathing steady and yet Kratos knew, somehow, that he was awake as he slowly crossed the room.

"Zelos."

The redhead's eyes fluttered open, taking a moment to focus on him before Zelos smiled, wincing slightly in pain. "Hi."

Kratos took a careful seat on the edge of the bed. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Fine," was the slightly hoarse reply. "Been better."

The mercenary nodded. "And Mithos?"

"Gone, and good riddance." Zelos looked up at the ceiling. "Guess I won't have to throw my mirror out after all."

Kratos smiled at that, and they were silent for a moment before Zelos sighed. "I screwed up real bad this time, didn't I?" the redhead murmured.

"No one could have predicted that Mithos would survive," Kratos answered. "He used all of us, me especially. He manipulated me so easily—"

"I mean, the _least_ I could've done was conserve enough mana to actually be able to _feel_ it when we kissed," the redhead continued smoothly. "Mithos said it was really hot too. I feel so gypped; the first person I've really been attracted to in who knows how many years, and I miss out on the big event."

He actually laughed at the thoroughly shocked look Kratos gave him, coughing slightly as he did so. "But seriously," he said, smiling. "After going through all that crap…don't you think I deserve something for my trouble?"

For once in his life, Kratos decided not to argue. "Very well," he said instead and, leaning down, gently brushed Zelos's lips with his own.

The redhead reached up with one hand, lightly stroking his hair as they kissed lazily. Then Kratos pulled back a bit, smiling as he murmured against Zelos's lips, "You're such an idiot."

"Mm," the ex-Chosen answered. "Your idiot."

"Yes."

Zelos sighed, blinking slowly as his hand slid gently out of Kratos's hair. "You'd better be here when I wake up," he mumbled, blue eyes sliding closed.

Deciding they could save serious conversation for later, Kratos just took Zelos's hand, smiling as he nodded. "I will be," he answered. "Always."

END

* * *

**A/N: **And that's all. I have ideas for a sequel to this, but I'm not sure if I'll go through with it. Opinions?  



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